Author: Thuc Thao Vy Tran

Thuc Thao Tran DB2

I think the Europeans have a very good view of Asians, a good example of that is in the book, the author says “Has long side … with Asia, including Middle East and Far East. It’s people, it’s civilization, and it’s fabled riches “

And moreover, Asia and Europe have very successful collaborations.

Through Lee’s reading and the film history of Asian migrants to America, I learned that Asian countries had very early commodity trade cooperation with European countries. And both of them have great developments, but that didn’t surprise me. What surprised me was that in the Asian migration history movie I learned more about “Actually Asians have been in North America before America became a republic” which surprised me because I didn’t think. Asians were in America so early. And then there is “And soon after, Chinese are plating rice in Mexico” which makes me feel the next surprise, because for me only Asians know about rice and eat rice every day like China, Vietnam. 

This story is compared to the stories that we hear today about migration that the current conditions for migration may be easier, but the one thing I feel is unchanged is collaboration between countries and Asia to develop. My own experience is that I am also an immigrant to the US, but after I read and watched this video I felt completely different from what I felt. I don’t know if in the future, Europeans will have a different view of Asians or not. But for now, I feel that everything is still stable. From the time I came to the United States to the present time, I see America as a developed and civilized country. Of course, the matter of racism. Skin color discrimination still exists, but it is only a mandatory part of this complex society. And the better thing that has changed between ancient and present history is that Asians are no longer slaves. Everyone has their own rights and voices!

Thuc Thao Tran DB1

 

Bahadur: ‘How could I write about women whose existence is barely acknowledged?’

 

  1. What history is Bahadur writing about? 
  • She has written history about the women in India who were not treated fairly and their existence was not acknowledged.
  • More than that she wrote about her great-grandmother
  1. What is in the official historical record? Whose perspective is it from?
  • The official historical record is nothing true about the women who have been depicted by the white people “They are only described by others, by the various white men who held power over them; the ships’ surgeons and captains, planters and overseers, immigration agents and magistrates.”
  1. What information is missing?
  • When talking about missing information, I think it is missing a lot of information in there. For example, she mentioned that she had to work hard to find the important information needed but she couldn’t do it either. Because of the information she has, it’s not official.
  1. What other types of “data” does Bahadur use to understand history?
  • She searched from various sources like “ I looked for clues in visual traces and the oral tradition: folk songs, oral histories, photographs and colonial-era postcards, even a traditional tattoo on the forearms of elderly Indo-Caribbean women. Perhaps most daringly, I turned to the self and wrote about my own journeys: to India,…”
  1. If you were to construct an archive of your own family history, what types of data might you review or search for?
  • I think I’ll ask my family first and I’ll find out about places where I was a child with my family.

 

How the story of Kamala Harris upends the Asian American ‘model minority’ stereotype

  1. What does the author mean by “model minority” and “anti-model minority?” 
  • We can say “model minority” is the difference between Asian Americans and people of color, they have different views based on prejudices and patterns in the past.
  • “anti-model minority” is Asian Americans who have more opportunities to develop and prove themselves. 
  1. What evidence does he give us to make his argument?

“the “model minority” stereotype by wearing a “Math” lapel pin, and making joking comments like, “I am Asian, so I know a lot of doctors.” His platform was also based on the belief that individuals can overcome challenging circumstances less through solidarity with other groups and more from personal decision making along with at least some government support.”

Thuc Thao Tran DB1

She has written history about the women in India who were not treated fairly and their existence was not acknowledged. More than that she wrote about her great-grandmother. I think it is missing a lot of information in there. For example, she mentioned that she had to work hard to find the important information needed but she couldn’t do it either. Because of the information she has, it’s not official. She searched from various sources like “ I looked for clues in visual traces and the oral tradition: folk songs, oral histories, photographs and colonial-era postcards, even a traditional tattoo on the forearms of elderly Indo-Caribbean women. Perhaps most daringly, I turned to the self and wrote about my own journeys: to India,…” 

Thuc Thao Tran DB INTRO

Hello everyone, who is reading what I have written here. My name is Thuc Thao Vy Tran, I know it will be difficult for you to remember, you can call me Aley. I’m from Vietnam, I’ve been in the US for over 4 years and I went to high school here. I graduated from high school at Emma Lazarus High school and I am currently a 2nd year student at BMCC. My major is Sociology, at first when I said I wanted to tell my father that I wanted to study Sociology and become an Advisor. He advised me a lot and I feel like he didn’t like it too much. But I told him I wanted to work with others and listen to what they wanted to say. 

And my life changed a lot when I graduated from high school, I felt like I was more independent. And I think as we grow up, we will really need friends to share. I don’t know if anyone is like me, but I have a hard time sharing my feelings with my mom! I feel like I’ve talked about my family enough for you to get to know me, I’ll be back in class. I chose this class because I wanted to better understand what has happened in history in Vietnam. Asia has so many countries that I know that all have different historical information!

I don’t think my life is not very interesting nowadays, because I’ve been at home for so long. Every day, I only use the computer to watch film and watch youtube. And now when I go back to school, I have to check my mail and finish my homework every day. I know there will be people like me and I don’t know what to share next. What I want to say in the end is, I hope I can know more about the history of the different Asian countries and especially Vietnam.

Thank you!!